Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-06-16
GIANT SUNS.
Some Curious Facts and Specula-
tons Concerning Them.

Some Curious Facts and Specula-
tons Concerning Them.
Tomany, perhaps, the idea may seem
strange that any suns should be spoken
of as giant suns by way of distinc-
ton, when we consider that in reality
all suns must be giant Orbs compared
with our earth, herself no insignificant
globe. Our sun may or may not be a
fair average sample of star. Possibly
multitudes among the stars visible to
us, and almost certainly many thou
sands among the stars disclosed by the
telescope, are much less important
globes than he is. Yet it is certain
that the least among all the stars we
see must be a giant compared with the
earth. or even with the giant planets
Jupiter and Saturn. From what we
know of the way in which the light and
heat of the sun are maintained,
namely, by the attractive energies re-
siding in the suns mass. it is certain
that star whose light suffices to rem
der it visible across the vast spaces
which separate even the nearest stars
from us must many thousand times ex-
coed our earth in mass. Why then
should any suns be distinguished from
their fellows by being called giants?
But the fact is that even though of all
the stars We see, or which the telescope
reveals, not one were less than our
own sun in size and mass. we could
still call the class of orbs to which l
am now referring ''giant suns" Vast
though the sun is. he is the mereSt
dwarf compared with the star we call
Sirius, and Sirius is but one of fam
ily of suns, each one of which sur
passes our own sun hundreds of times
in glory, and thousands of times prob
ably in size.
Consider the evidence in the case of
Sirius. for example. The distance of
Sirius has not been accurately deter
mined, though he is down in the list of
stars supposed by many to lie at known
distances. The astronomer knows that
in reality all the stars, save one or two.
in the list of fifteen or twenty thus
formed. lie at distances too great to be
measurable by the instruments at pres
ent in use. Still we knew enough
about the distance of Sirius to be able
to say with confidence that he is GER
tainly three times farther away than
Alpha Centauri. the nearest of all the
stars. and probably not more than six
times farther away. If We set Sirius
four times as far away as Alpha Cen
tauri we shall probably be not far from
the truth. Now it has been shown by
careful comparison of our suns light
with that of Alpha Centauri that were
our sun set beside that star he would
shine with about One-third the luster
of that nearest neighbOr Of ours among
the stars; therefore. if carried four
times farther away, by which his light
would be reduced. not fsurfold. but six
teenfold. the sun would give but one
4Sth part as much light as Alpha
Centauri. or 1921 part (say. in
round numbers, one 2oOth part) of
the light Of Sirius. which shines four
times more bri ghtly in the heavens
than the nearer star. Now we know
nothing of the intrinsic luster of the
surface of Sirius; but from the re-
searches of St. Clair Deville. Vicaire.
and other physicists. it seems unlikely
that the intrinsic luster of any surface
can much exceed THAI of the visible
surface of eur sun. Supposingthe sur
face of Sirils To be twice y, lustrous
rs our suns. then Sirius must have =
surface 100 times ~ larg. ~ our suns
(whose surface is nearly 1900 times
the earth's). which would make the
diameter of Sirius ten times the suns,
and his globe 1000 times as great as
even that giant orb of the sun. which
exceeds our earth's in volume 1.300,-
600 times. 1t seems reasonable to re-
gard such difference as one rather
of kind than merely of degree. Jupiter
exceeds our earth 1850 times in vol
ume, and we regard Jupiter therefore
not merely as a larger earth. but as a
giant planet unlike our earth in char
acter. The sun exceeds Jupiter more
than 1000 times in size, and belongs
In ike manner to different class. We
have to pass by step of similar
Kind to Sirius, who is certainly not less